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Our Classics section celebrates great examples of craftsmanship and design from the past. In this pilot issue, we bring you back to Imperial Russia when a series of exquisite ornaments of unparalleled beauty were created. |
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Pre-Communist Imperial Russia at
the end of the 19th Century was a very different place from the Russia
of today. The extravagant Romanov
Dynasty had been in power for almost 300 years. With their immense
wealth, the Romanov clan commissioned a series
of bejeweled treasures that coincided tragically with the ignominious
end to their reign.
After having been introduced in 1882
to the works of the House of Fabergé at an exhibition in
Moscow, Tsar Alexander III of Russia appointed them Suppliers to
the Imperial Court. Then, as an Easter surprise in 1885, the Tsar asked Fabergé
to make his Tsarina Maria Feodorovna a gift worthy of an Empress. His wife
suitably delighted, the Tsar thus established a tradition of presenting
her with another unique creation of appropriate majesty every year
hence.
I had previously heard the Fabergé name bandied about now and again, without any idea what it meant in terms of historical significance. Latterly associated with a range of personal hygiene products, the name has definitely seen better days. Indeed, even the extravagant jeweled eggs made by the Fabergé of today do not possess the cachet of the original House of Fabergé in its heyday. In fact, the more I found out about Fabergé's original Imperial Easter eggs, the more my jaw slackened.
The first ever Imperial Fabergé
Easter Egg was seemingly just that, an egg. Covered in white enamel,
it looked like a perfect chicken egg. However, when opened it revealed
a gilt-lined interior, with a separate hollow golden yolk that itself
contained a surprise. Inside the yolk was a golden hen with eyes
of ruby. That was not the end of the surprise, for inside the miniature
hen lay another egg-shaped ruby pendant that hung inside a diamond-set
replica of the Imperial crown. |
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The Hen Egg, the first Imperial egg, was presented by Tsar Alexander III to his wife, Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, at Easter 1885. Its value is estimated at USD 3-4 million. |
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successive year's egg was more extravagant and
finely-detailed than the last. The surprises inside became
more and more inspired. The eggs were in and of themselves, distinctive
and inimitable works of art.
The House of Fabergé's fanatical attention
to detail is what made the Eggs so very special. From such marvelous
beginnings, the entire collection has become something worthy of
legend (Their frequent mention in popular culture reaffirms this).
In all, only 56 eggs were ever made for the Imperial family. (A few others
were commissioned by a Siberian businessman of the era but these
are not the objects of fascination the Imperial collection is.)
Most survive today in private collections and at various museums
and exhibitions around the world. |
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| Without doubt, the Coronation Egg is
the most famous of them all - having been been stolen twice in the
movies.
Because of its lavishness, intricacy, and its golden splendor, it
is perhaps the most iconic of them all, and definitely the most coveted and valuable. It singlehandedly encapsulates
the luxury of monarchy, with a sense of simultaneous grace and whimsy
that symbolizes the whole dynasty. |
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The most famous
Faberge egg in existence, the Coronation Egg is a paragon
of craftsmanship. The surface is enamelled translucent
yellow applied to a golden field of starbursts. The
egg is trellised with bands of laurel wrought from gold.
Opaque, black-enamelled Imperial eagles appear at each
trellis intersection. Each eagle carries a small diamond
on its chest.
The miniature
coronation coach contained within is highly-detailed and took
15 months to fabricate. The upholstery of the original
coach was faithfully reproduced
in red and blue enamel. The gilt coach frame was reproduced
in gold, the iron wheel rims in platinum, and glass
windows in etched rock crystal. The coach is surmounted
by an Imperial crown with rose diamonds. (Description
courtesy of the Faberge
Experience.) |
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| The
Coronation Egg, and a few other notable eggs, are now in the
lucky hands of a Russian oil tycoon, who bought his eggs from the
Forbes family in 2004, just before their auction. According to Forbes'
own magazine, the estimated auction value of the nine Eggs was between
US$80-$120 million at the time. (The Coronation Egg alone was valued
at $20 million or so - the rest between $4 and $10 million each.)
With their workmanship, beauty and spectacular prices, the
collection of Fabergé Imperial Eggs is not going
to disappear from our consciousness anytime soon. While time may have forgotten the stories - and sadly,
some of the surprises - behind some of these eggs, the Fabergé Imperial Eggs remain a stunning testament of the beauty man is capable of creating. |
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Translucent enamel egg, encrusted with 1,618
rose-cut diamonds and containing a wind-up elephant, made in 1900 by Faberge. Here in a multi-exposure shot, we see the wind-up elephant walking. |
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Peter Carl Fabergé was born in Russia
to parents of French heritage in 1846. The family were jewelers by trade. Peter Carl inherited the business when he was 24, and with the help
of his brother Agathon, built up a reputation of
fine craftsmanship by perfectly copying old Russian treasures. Their
craftsmanship skills were noticed by the Tsar Alexander III and
his wife, who soon appointed the House of Fabergé
Suppliers to the Imperial Court. Indeed, by this time, the House of Fabergé
was home to some of the world's foremost jewelry artisans and goldsmiths.
Interestingly enough, neither Peter Carl
nor Agathon personally created any of
their famous eggs themselves. It was, in actual fact, a man called Mikhail Perkhin
who was responsible for many of the eggs. As the main work master
of the House of Fabergé, his initials are stamped upon most
of the more coveted eggs. MP markings are found on the Coronation
Egg, Lilies of the Valley Egg and the Renaissance Egg, amongst
others.  |
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